VILLANOVA, Pa. – The Butler softball team clinched the BIG EAST series at Villanova with one game remaining, winning the second game by the final score of 12-5. The Bulldogs (9-9, 2-0 BIG EAST) and Wildcats (5-21, 2-3 BIG EAST) were tied, 2-2, after one inning, but Butler scored three runs in the second and never trailed through the seventh.
Makena Alexander had three hits that included two home runs and four RBIs to lead the Bulldogs at the plate.
Butler jumped on the board early when Alexander hit her first two-run home run with two outs in the top of the first. Villanova responded in the bottom half with its own pair of runs, and the game was tied, 2-2.
In the second, a double from
Paxton Law and a two-RBI single by
Hailey Conger brought three runs in and put the Dawgs up, 5-2. The Wildcats loaded the bases with no outs in their half, but a force out at home and a double play got Butler out of the inning, unblemished.
In the third, a two-out, two-run single from
Erin Clark added to the lead, as Butler increased the gap to six runs by the middle of the frame. Villanova again loaded the bases with no outs in their half, but the Dawgs responded to get out of the jam again, this time with a pair of strikeouts and a ground out.
One inning later, a two-RBI double by
Kayla Preiss and a second home run from Alexander increased the lead to 12-2. The Wildcats used two Butler errors and a single to plate one run in the bottom half.
Villanova avoided a run-rule result, scoring two runs on three hits in the fifth. The Bulldogs still led, 12-5.
Alyx Johnson (1.0-IP, 2R, 5H, BB) started in the circle for the Bulldogs and pitched into the second inning.
Rylyn Dyer (2-1) provided relief and finished the game, picking up the win. In 6.0 innings, she allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and three walks with two strikeouts.
Bulldog Bits
- Alexander's pair of home runs give her seven this season and 19 in her career. It was the second time in her career she hit two home runs in a single game. (vs. Greenbay 2/7/25)
- The double by Olivia Robards was her seventh this season and the 18th of her career.
- Law's double, her second in two games and this season, was the third of her career.
- The double by Preiss was her second this season.
- Dyer's win in the circle was her second this season and the 16th of her career.
Up Next
Butler and Villanova will play the third and final game of the series on Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m.
